Things That Make Exercising Much Easier

We all know at least one person who loves to work out. They invite you to their CrossFit classes, look forward to mud runs, and often make you wonder, “How do they do it?”

But for a lot of other people, sticking to an exercise plan can mean boarding the motivation struggle bus. If your goal is to have a long-term relationship with physical fitness, it might pay to think about it in a different way. When exercise is a chore, nobody looks forward to it. But there are a few ways to make exercise a lot more fun. And even more ways to fake it ’til you make your way to motivation.

Fitness experts say the key is to make your workout routine easy. When getting in a few workouts a week sounds like fun, they are easier to fit into your schedule.

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Only Listen to Your Favorite Music When You Work Out

Pick your favorite album, playlist (or even podcast), and only listen when you’re working out.

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Make the Reward Amazing

Put together a few dollars with your workout buddies every month and give the prize to whoever burns the most calories, takes the most steps or drops the most weight. Make the reward really great and you will keep it going month after month, even after you all have already reached your goals.

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Start Easy With Your Schedule

Schedule one workout a week on the day it’s easiest to stick to. Don’t add another day until you know you’ve made a habit of making it a date you won’t break.

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Start Smaller Than You Have To

Start running for an amount of time that feels comfortable for you. Maybe it’s just 10 minutes. Add a few minutes every week. When you slowly but surely increase your output, running becomes easier to do.

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Try a TV Workout

These TV workouts are a healthy take on TV drinking games. For instance, every time Cookie says something on Empire that makes you laugh out loud, you do 10 jumping jacks. The more TV you watch, the fitter you get.

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Sleep in Your Workout Clothes

You will save time in the morning to get ready for that early workout or have to pull yourself out of them if you want to change your mind (which can make you less likely to).

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Have Fun Instead

If going to the gym sounds terrible, find another activity. Walk the dog, swim, play basketball — do anything else that you like that makes you sweat. You are a lot more likely to stick to it.

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Invest in an Exercise Bike

Or any other cardio machine you can put in front of the TV to turn your Netflix nights into workout time.

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Strap on SomeWeights

If errands take up your workout time, you can turn them into exercise. Strap on ankle weights or even a weighted vest to get the most out of your daily routine.

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Pay Yourself When You Exercise

Instead of giving that money away to the gym, treat yourself to something nice at the end of every month.

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Join the Right Gym

Some of us just work better in a group. Find a gym with the eye candy, amenities, or location that keeps you coming back and you will feel motivated.

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Turn Your Workouts Into a Game

These apps turn your workouts into a video game to add a lot more fun (and goals you’ll work harder toward) to your exercise routine.

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Invest in Your Workout Clothes

When you feel amazing during your workout, you’ll want to get out there and show off your style (and progress).

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Get Competitive

Set a goal with a friend to see who can burn the most calories or see the biggest results from their workouts.